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0 pointskarolist2y ago0 comments

I have mixed feeling about github's dominance. They have created facebook for devs and uplifted collaboration of software to a high level, but I can't help but feel like I'm renting storage space in someone else's private shop when I use them. Yes you get engagement, yes you get one link to share your dev profile and timeline grid in CV, but it's a for profit business that is run by MS.

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reactordev2y ago

“but I can't help but feel like I'm renting storage space in someone else's private shop when I use them”

I’ve been looking for the words to put to that feeling myself but was unable to pinpoint it so well.

I loved GitHub at first. “Look at all the cool stuff I made” was kinda a way of showing my capabilities (and is still a great way today!) but somewhere along the way it became a platform for egos and star stroking and blind following into the nights. They improved their search but it could be so much better. Not everyone has a graphic designer on staff to make pretty README.md’s

cellularmitosis2y ago

I'm much less concerned with this because github seems to have to lowest vendor lock-in of any platform. If you want to switch platforms, it should be as easy as changing your upstream and push. Switching from MySpace to Facebook never looked like that.

karolistOP2y ago

Sure you can switch, will others too? That's the problem, when something gets dominating critical mass individual actions stop to matter. You can replace Google with another search engine as easily as opening a new tab, does the dominance make it any less scary?

mech4222y ago

>>I have mixed feeling about github's dominance.

Yep - I remember what happened with Source Forge/VA Linux. I actually paid for github when it first came out, just to fund it.

Still makes me nervous tbh

karolistOP2y ago

Good old times, freshmeat.net also ;)

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

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reactordev2y ago

“but I can't help but feel like I'm renting storage space in someone else's private shop when I use them”

I’ve been looking for the words to put to that feeling myself but was unable to pinpoint it so well.

cellularmitosis2y ago

karolistOP2y ago

mech4222y ago

>>I have mixed feeling about github's dominance.

Yep - I remember what happened with Source Forge/VA Linux. I actually paid for github when it first came out, just to fund it.

Still makes me nervous tbh

karolistOP2y ago

Good old times, freshmeat.net also ;)

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse